Interactions Interactions Among Among Living Living ThingsThings

I. Living Things and I. Living Things and Their EnvironmentTheir Environment

All of the living (biotic) All of the living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) and nonliving (abiotic) things in an environment things in an environment are interconnected.are interconnected.

Example:Example: Think of a spider Think of a spider web. The environment’s web web. The environment’s web is the relationship among its is the relationship among its plants, animals, soil, water, plants, animals, soil, water, temperature, light, and other temperature, light, and other biotic and abiotic factors.biotic and abiotic factors.

Temperature

Soil

Anim

als

Light

Water

What happens when one What happens when one part of a spider’s web is part of a spider’s web is damaged?damaged?

The entire web falls apart.

What happens when What happens when someone contaminates the someone contaminates the water supply to a farm? water supply to a farm?

A. EcosystemsA. Ecosystems

Consists of all the living Consists of all the living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) things in a given area that things in a given area that interact with one another. interact with one another.

Abiotic factors: nonlivingAbiotic factors: nonliving

AirSunlight

SoilRocks

Biotic Factors: LivingBiotic Factors: LivingFish

Flower

Tree Bacteria

Mushroom

Flamingo

Man

Ecosystems overlap and affect Ecosystems overlap and affect one another.one another.

Ecosystems can be as tiny as Ecosystems can be as tiny as a drop of pond water or as a drop of pond water or as large as an ocean.large as an ocean.

Forest Ecosystem: Includes birds, squirrels, rabbits, trees, bushes, grass, insects, mushrooms, bacteria, dead leaves, soil, rocks, sunlight, rainwater, etc….

Desert Ecosystem: Air, sunlight, cacti, sand, pocket mice, jack rabbits, etc…

B. CommunitiesB. Communities The living part of any ecosystem.The living part of any ecosystem. All the different organisms that live All the different organisms that live

together in that area.together in that area.

Example: Example: Pond communityPond community – Includes fish, – Includes fish, frogs, snails, microorganisms, and water frogs, snails, microorganisms, and water lilies.lilies.

Pond Community

Cattails

Kingfisher

Otter

Water strider

FrogCatfish

C. PopulationsC. Populations A group of organisms of the same A group of organisms of the same

type (species) living together in a type (species) living together in a community.community.

Example: all the rainbow trout in a lake or Example: all the rainbow trout in a lake or all the redwood trees in a forest.all the redwood trees in a forest.

Rainbow Trout

Redwood Trees

What type of ecosystem What type of ecosystem do you live in?do you live in?

Take a sheet of paper, divide it in half, Take a sheet of paper, divide it in half, and make a list of the biotic and abiotic and make a list of the biotic and abiotic factors in your ecosystem.factors in your ecosystem.

Biotic Abiotic